{Operation Simplicity: Enthusiasm}

I had planned on saving the kids' rooms until later when I could really focus on tackling the big project. But when the girls saw how much I enjoyed working in my newly arranged and simplified kitchen, they decided that we really shouldn't wait.

They wanted to tackle their room ASAP.

(I may have also casually mentioned that we'd have a garage sale. I may have also hinted that they could keep any money they earned from selling their stuff. This was extremely motivating because I may have also suggested that they could use the money toward the dolls they are saving up for.)

I've noticed that the children use this coloring area in the school room so much more
now that it's tidy and there's an easy to use space for everything.

So we took all day Saturday and whipped that room into shape. We went through every single silly band, book and bracelet, every doll, feather boa and shoe. We simplified the furniture arrangement so that the only large pieces are their daybed and dresser. The doll cradle and laundry hamper are the only other items taking up floor space.

It was a huge project, but so worth it. The boys are green with envy. I bet we'll be getting to their room much sooner than anticipated.

Already I've witnessed a number of benefits to having a simplified living space:

1. It's much easier to tidy up. There's a place for everything with everything in its place. The girls know where to put their feather boas and tea cups. They each have a small basket for the extra little pieces that don't seem to belong to any other collection. Everything has a place. There's no guess work, they can easily reach the storage spaces, and the room can be cleaned in a flash.

2. The space is inviting. The girls couldn't wait to use their "new" room. The open space left plenty of room for dancing and exercising, both of which took place all Sunday afternoon. (The downside: they were very noisy.)

3. They find more enjoyment in the toys they decided to keep. The girls essentially kept a dress up box, a bin of stuffed animals, their dolls and a few doll accessories along with a few other trinkets such as their tea set and meaningful figurines. We eliminated the toys that they never played with or had outgrown. This means that when they enter their room, they see only the things they enjoy and value.

4. Anticipation of a little extra cash. I'm looking forward to all of their hard work paying off. We'll label their toys separately and keep track during our spring garage sale. Their earnings will be stashed away with their savings until they've saved enough to purchase their dolls.

The girls are loving their room, and so am I. It's no longer scary to walk in there or impossible for a six-year-old to manage. It's downright pleasant.

So you'll forgive me if I show up some Sunday morning in a feather boa. I'm not taking a walk on the wild side. I'm simply enjoying my girls' room.

{Today's Project}

My kitchen is coming along, one drawer at a time. I'm realizing, however, that a kitchen is a tricky thing. Because when I clear out one drawer, I quickly see the wisdom in rearranging and mingling other drawers and cupboards with each other to make the spaces work more efficiently. It's almost like I'm moving in again. So it's a (sometimes messy) work in progress.

Even so, my kitchen already feels much more user friendly. I actually like working in it. Which is the goal. (And I kind of get a kick out of watching Jamie open cupboard after cupboard to find a bowl which is no longer in it's original spot.)

I'll share more about my kitchen endeavors next week. But for today, I decided to attack the creepy Tupperware drawer (and even allow you to see a picture of it). Why is this always the one to cause so much trouble? It must be those lids and mis-matched pieces. It took longer than the 15 minutes I allotted, but since it's a quiet Saturday that's okay.

Do you have a terrifying Tupperware success story? How have you solved the problem?

I don't have cute or spiffy organizing bins, but this already feels so much better. I moved the plastic kid cups to this drawer (they had previously been in a cupboard) since Miss Kate was prone to ascend the counter tops to reach for a glass when thirsty. I think this is a much better option. I also paired off the lids and containers to see how many superfluous lids I'd accumulated. Quite a few. They got tossed. Operation Simplicity . . . success!

A number of you have updated me with your various clutter-clearing efforts. A drawer cleaned out, a closet spiffed up, a bag filled and dropped off. Hooray! It's so fun and encouraging to work on our homes together.

What have you been working on today?

{Operation Simplicity: Making a Plan}

A friend of mine recently commented that she had organized her entire home. She actually touched every single thing that she owned. Needless to say, I was very impressed.

And then I thought of my closet. And my kids' closets. And the garage. I swooned.

When I came to, I gave myself a little pep-talk. I can do this! This is a great time to make a plan! A plan to simplify and clear out the clutter! The start of a new year is good for things like that! Yippee!

As I was thinking these uplifting thoughts (with my eyebrows raised, of course), I came across the book Organized Simplicity via Small Notebook. It looks like a great resource. Another friend recommended it, saying that it has some very helpful ideas. She shared with me the plan for simplicity that she is adopting this year for her family, and I love it. The goal?

Get rid of excess.

This doesn't only apply to the tangible clutter like the silly bands, hangers and band-aid wrappers that mysteriously accumulate throughout the home. We're talking about excess in everything. Time wasted in front of a screen. Too many outside commitments. Unhealthy eating habits. The things that distract. The things that consume. Everything.

Blaise Pascal wrote, “Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries, and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.”* I find myself too often surrounded by this type of "misery," and it's discouraging. There are far too many distractions, and I believe they often prevent me from growing into the woman that God wants me to be.

So I'm making a plan. It's still a work in progress. In fact, it will take all year. That sounds rather daunting, doesn't it? But the plan is to first tackle the physical clutter that so insidiously accumulates. Here's what I'm gonna do:

1. Divide the house into 12 areas.
2. Tackle one area each month.
3. Divide each area into smaller sections.
4. Work on one section each day (except Sunday) for 10-15 min.

When that breaks down to just 10 or 15 minutes a day, it seems much more manageable, doesn't it? (Continuing to give myself pep-talks with eyebrows raised . . . .)

As I go through the items we've accumulated over the decades, I'll keep in mind the helpful words of William Morris:

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.

Since we're already a week into January, I'm starting with my kitchen. I had already organized and rearranged some appliances after Christmas, so I'll use the rest of the month to continue tackling my kitchen: one drawer, one cupboard, one appliance at a time.

I'm also thinking ahead toward the busy vs. not-so-busy months. For example, I know that the kids' rooms will take quite a bit of effort. I'll probably save these for summer, yet start now in helping the kids eliminate things here and there so it won't be such a monstrous task. (I just shuddered when I typed that.)

If I keep a Goodwill box nearby to be filled and delivered regularly, by the end of the year I will have touched everything in my home. (I hope!) And we'll be living with a lot less clutter and a lot more us.

I want to remove the unnecessary distractions. I want to breathe deeply and feel content in my surroundings. If anything distracts me, I want it to be the laughter of my children, a wink from my husband or the beauty of a winter sunset. Because I'm pretty sure that I don't really need a dozen blenders.


As always, you're warmly invited to join me in my efforts. Operation Simplicity, here we come! Maybe you've already got this thing figured out. Any organizational tips you can send my way?


*As quoted by Pico Iyer in "The Joy of Quiet."